Mendilibar: "We'll only allow ourselves to dream if we win tomorrow"
The Armeros' boss has made some changes to his squad for the trip to Riazor
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of tomorrow's clash against RC Deportivo at Riazor, José Luis Mendilibar has insisted that "we'll only allow ourselves to dream" if his side manage to secure victory tomorrow.
The Armeros' boss has made a series of changes to his squad list for the encounter, with Yoel, Ander Iván Capa, Ramis and Vukašin Jovanović not included, whilst Fran Rico and Sergi Enrich remain sidelined with injuries. The squad list is as follows: Dmitrović, Riesgo, Rubén Peña, Arbilla, Paulo Oliveira, Lombán, Cote Valdés, Juncà, Dani García, Escalante, Jordán, Pape Diop, Pedro León, Orellana, Alejo, Inui, Kike García and Charles.
"We're seeing some changes to the staring line-up and the squad list because we've got a 22-man squad and they're all training really well", he explained.
"We're aware just what a tough game it'll be, in view of Dépor in the league. If we compete as we have done in our last few games, we'll be in with a chance of winning. However, it's not as if we're thinking that it'll be a case of just going there, winning the game and coming home".
"They've got some really good players, but for whatever reason, they're not performing as a group, but they can cause you problems whenever they want. They're going to have to win at some point. There are always runs of form, but they can also change at any moment in time, which is just what happened to us. It'll be even tougher than any other game because they have to win to get themselves out of the situation they're in."
"Dépor are on a bad run, but against Espanyol, for example, they deserved to win. They've got some fine players, with the likes of Adrián, Florin Andone, and Lucas Pérez in attack. They haven't managed to score in recent games, but they've got the quality and are capable of performing at any time. I don't want us to settle for a draw if it's 0-0. If we do that, we'll put ourselves in danger of losing the game".
When asked about his side's campaign so far, Mendilibar underlined that "The main target at the start of the season has now been achieved, although not mathematically so.
"From now on, my focus isn't on what'll happen in our next five games, but about what'll happen tomorrow and then in next Saturday's game. It's all about not easing off, not being satisfied with what we've got and going out to try and win each game. At the start of the season our aim was to secure our survival with two or three games to go and then enjoy the rest of the season. We got off to a bad start but we've turned things around. We've had a good three or four months and have been on a good run. Let's now see if we can at least equal last season's points tally."
In reference to the understanding between Pedro León and Fabián Orellana, who played together for the first time on Wednesday night, Mendilibar insisted that "Good players understand each other". "Right since Fabián came to the club, I've said that I don't know what a player of his ability is doing at Eibar. I would have thought that he could be at a club whose main aim is to play European football. The same goes for Pedro. After having been out for nine months it's not easy to come back in and perform, but players with quality are able to do just that".